Dear FWP and the Elk Management Citizen Advisory Group -
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on your 'Enforce Stricter Penalties for Trespassing and Other Bad Behaviors by Hunters and Landowners' proposal.
While we are firm advocates of private property rights, and anti-trespassing, we’re also pro-public access and think equal or greater efforts should be put into making sure the public can access public lands. In other words, we support efforts to impose stricter penalties for trespassing, but we ask that they are commensurate to penalties levied to those who are illegally blocking public access.
Additionally, we suggest that stiffer fines be levied specifically for rule-breakers on publicly accessible private lands (Block Management, 454s, hunt rosters, PAL Act, UGBEP, etc). So for example, poaching, illegal motorized use, vandalism, littering, etc - let’s double all those fines on private lands enrolled in any of FWP’s public access agreements. As noted by FWP, these changes "would require statutory amendments to 87‐6‐415" ie legislative involvement.
That said, we encourage the department to consider one change that would not require legislative involvement:
It's our understanding that hunters who do not abide by the rules outlined in individual block management properties could be cited for 'failure to obtain landowner permission to hunt.' We encourage FWP to make this possibility known loud and clear via digital communications, inclusion on each block management rule/map document as well as posting this at each BMA sign-in box.
Thank you again for the opportunity to comment on your 'Enforce Stricter Penalties for Trespassing and Other Bad Behaviors by Hunters and Landowners' proposal. We appreciate your careful consideration.
-The Montana Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers